The Berlin Labor Court has rejected the complaint of a journalist for compensation and compensation for alleged "bullying" due to his East German origin. As the court announced on Wednesday, the verdict was already pronounced on 15 August.
The deputy head of a newspaper publishing house had stated that he had been "stigmatized and humiliated" by two superiors because of his East German origin and demanded compensation. In addition, he had claimed the court 800,000 euros in damages because he had suffered health damage from the bullying. The dishonor, the man of the lawsuit had to endure concrete, the court did not say.
The court argued that the man could not rely on the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) in litigation with his employer. People of East German origin are neither members of an ethnic group nor are they carriers of a unified worldview, the court says. Only in such cases does the AGG provide for compensation.
The court also dismissed the claim for damages. The man should have warned his employer in good time about the behavior of his superiors and the danger of the resulting high damage. Since he has not done so, there is no duty of replacement of the employer.
An appeal against the verdict can be appealed to the Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg.